Many people dream of having their own house or flat. The accommodation available for the middle classes is made up of houses that are at a relatively large distance from urban agglomeration, of terraced housing closer to urban agglomeration or of rented and bought flats in the town or city or in suburbs. Flats which are available today in town and city centres are not only expensive but also, in many cases, are not attractive to those who are not keen on typically urban buildings.
Living space had to be created quickly in the years following the Second World War. In today's terms, bland residential buildings with dwellings were constructed. Architecture which was popular at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, and in which the facade of a house reflected the use of the latter, was lost. The facades were featureless and uniform. The facade was the same from the ground floor to the top floor and, if this is possible, the blandness was even emphasized by a flat roof. Even if the uniformity was combated at a later date with specific facade designs, a block with dwellings can only be rendered interesting to the observer by additional outlay and associated extra costs.
Maisonettes do indeed provide living-space alternatives, but do little to influence the facade design. Residential buildings with flats or maisonettes make good use of the urban areas available. The living quality, however, automatically suffers if construction is dominated by bland and monotonous blocks of flats.